Parents’ perceptions of power in the school exclusion process examined through Arnstein’s ladder of participation

Parents have highlighted that they felt powerless in the school exclusion process because school staff speak louder and have all the authority. This study draws on Arnstein’s ladder of citizen participation to analyse parents’ experiences of the school exclusion process. At the bottom of Arnstein’s ladder is nonparticipation; citizens cannot participate in decision-making in this domain. The following domain is tokenism. This is where citizens have a voice and are heard, but their views are not considered. The final domain at the top of the ladder is citizen control; this is where citizens have varying degrees of decision-making power. This paper uses data from semi-structured interviews with parents to understand their children’s experiences of school, measures that schools implemented to prevent exclusions, and how they experienced the school exclusion process. The data showed that parents could feel manipulated in the school exclusion process when they were involved too late when school staff had already decided to exclude their children. Conversely, some parents felt that they had the power to influence decisions and valued working in partnership with school staff to inform the sanction their child would receive and avoid permanent exclusion. It is concluded that not all parents have equal influence in the school exclusion process. The findings of this research highlight the need to make sure that all parents are given the opportunity to participate in the exclusion process to ensure that the education system is fairer and more inclusive.